KARACHI: Police defused an improvised explosive device (IED) from a train at the Cantonment Railway Station which was arriving from Peshawar to the port city, Geo News reported Saturday.
According to law enforcement officials, the bomb disposal squad reached the station after receiving information about the bomb in Awam Express and defused it through a controlled blast.
The police added that the bomb was hidden under the seat of the Awan Express train.
Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) senior officer Raja Umar Khattab said the attempt to sabotage could have been done by a separatist group. According to the bomb disposal unit, the explosive was found in a black and red coloured school bag.
Director General of Police (DIG) South Syed Asad Raza said that the bomb, which weighed 5 kilograms, used 2kgs of explosives and was attached to a “time device”, while a motorcycle battery was used to detonate it.
The DIG said that the possible target was the north of Sindh, as the time of the bomb was set at Friday 12pm and the train was near Sukkur-Rohri Junction during that time. “The bomb did not explode at the time due to a malfunctioned wire inside it,” he said.
He said that the police were informed about the bomb one hour after the train reached the Cantt Station, adding that the report was made by the railway staff.
Raza said no case could be filed as of yet and added that it will be registered at the Railway Police Cantt Station.
DIG Raza said that the CCTV footage at different train stations from Peshawar to Karachi is being obtained. He added that the railway staff was also being investigated.
